DOJ Takes Issue With Tyson Args In Turkey Price-Fixing Fight

By Rae Ann Varona

The U.S. Department of Justice has urged an Illinois federal court not to take up Tyson Foods' application of a Fourth Circuit decision in the turkey processor's bid to defeat consolidated antitrust litigation against poultry producers, saying the out-of-circuit decision conflicts with U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

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States Will Fill DOJ, FTC's Antitrust Void, Ill. AG Atty Says

By Bryan Koenig

The top antitrust attorney at the Illinois attorney general's office predicted Thursday that state enforcers will continue to pick up the pace as the Federal Trade Commission and especially the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division "become less transparent and less active."

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Chicago Mayor Stops Bid To Halt Tip Credit Phaseout

By Irene Spezzamonte

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed a City Council measure that sought to freeze the scheduled increases tipped workers are set to receive to be phased out of the subminimum wage, saying it was his "duty to veto" an ordinance that would have financially harmed tipped workers.

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Live Nation Kicks Off Defense Case In Antitrust Trial

By Stewart Bishop

A coalition of state attorneys general on Thursday mostly concluded their antitrust case against Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary, following weeks of a trial that was nearly derailed after the U.S. Department of Justice dropped out, and Live Nation kicked off its defense case with a company executive who pushed back against claims of anticompetitive conduct.

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Hand Sanitizer Co. Board, Execs Can't Slip ESOP Fight

By Patrick Hoff

Executives and former board members at a hand sanitizer company must face a lawsuit claiming they helped facilitate an employee stock ownership plan's $398 million purchase of overvalued company stock, with an Illinois federal judge ruling that workers adequately alleged the executives had neglected their responsibilities.

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Legislative Update: Cannabis And Psychedelics Bill Roundup

By Sam Reisman

Lawmakers at the state and federal level stewarded legislation to rein in kratom and its derivatives, Idaho lawmakers took a stand against a proposal to legalize medical marijuana via ballot initiative, and New York legislators introduced a plan to audit the state's cannabis regulator on an annual basis. Here are the major moves in cannabis and psychedelics legislation from the past week.

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Investment Fraudster Gets 6½ Years For Swindling Clients

By Lauraann Wood

A purported investment adviser appearing in his third adulthood fraud case received more than six years in prison on Thursday as an Illinois federal judge expressed hope that he'll "do the hard work" it will take to address the personal issues leading him to engage in such conduct.

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Ill. Man Pleads Guilty To Sending Threats To Judges

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois financial analyst pled guilty Thursday to sending threatening letters to two federal judges in Texas and Florida, as well as to employees of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, that contained pictures of ammunition and a warning to "be careful."

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Ill. Judge Tosses 'Baseless' THC Potency Suit

By Jonathan Capriel

Illinois cannabis regulators are not so "incompetent on an elementary level" as to be duped into allowing Acreage Holdings Inc. and other companies to mislabel vape products in a way that lets them skirt state-imposed THC-potency limits, a federal court ruled, tossing as "baseless" a consumer-led proposed class action.

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BlockFills Gets Ch. 11 Stay Of Crypto Suit Targeting 3 Execs

By Alex Wittenberg

Cryptocurrency firm BlockFills secured a Delaware bankruptcy judge's permission Thursday to temporarily block a lawsuit from creditors alleging the company and three current and former executives failed to properly manage customer assets.

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J&J Spinoff Can't Avoid All Of 'Oil-Free' False Ad Suit In Ill.

By Mike Curley

An Illinois federal judge won't let a Johnson & Johnson spinoff fully escape claims that it misled consumers by marketing skincare products as "oil-free," finding the plaintiff can't pursue claims for products she didn't buy and dismissing her warranty claim but allowing the rest to proceed.

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Steptoe Adds Barnes & Thornburg Financial Regulatory Leader

By Jack Rodgers

Steptoe LLP has hired a Barnes & Thornburg LLP leader in Chicago who helped found two practice groups at his old firm that are focused on financial regulatory matters.

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White & Case Staffer Sues Firm Over Nude Photo Ridicule

By Dorothy Atkins

A White & Case LLP staffer sued the law firm in New York state court Wednesday, alleging the firm's purported "hostile work environment" shielded his colleagues after they allegedly shared nude photos of him, which he claims were taken by his supervisor while he was unconscious at a firm-sponsored party.

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Akin Must Explain Client's 'Self-Indulgent' 9th Circ. Appeal

By Lauren Berg

Upholding a foreign arbitration award against a wine importer, the Ninth Circuit on Thursday ordered its attorneys at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP to explain why they and their client shouldn't pay their opponent's attorney fees for bringing a "frivolous" and "self-indulgent" appeal.

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Troutman, Former Associate Fight Over Scope Of Bias Trial

By Emily Sawicki

Weeks ahead of an anticipated May trial over discrimination and retaliation claims brought by a former Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP associate, the firm and its onetime employee are sparring over the scope of evidence that may be presented at trial.

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Maduro Judge Hints US Should Reconsider Legal Fee Refusal

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge suggested Thursday that the Trump administration should revisit its refusal to allow former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to access his country's funds to pay for his defense against narco-terrorism and trafficking charges.

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Antitrust Leaders Say Lobbyists Don't Impact Outcomes

By Matthew Perlman

The leaders of the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division said Thursday that companies can lobby the agencies all they want, but enforcers will still make merger and conduct decisions based on the facts and the law.

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Bill To Give Admin More Control Over US Attys Advances

By Courtney Bublé

A Republican-led bill that would give the executive branch more authority over the installation of U.S. attorneys was advanced out of a House committee Thursday.

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